We had our Derby hats on ‘til the finale of Jazz Fest. My favorite acts were Herbie Hancock and Erica Falls this year. The Aretha Franklin tribute with the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra featuring Erica Falls at Congo Square turned me into a human degree on the barometer. I melted and evaporated and hung suspended in the hot humid air.
And now on the other side of a transcendent two weeks, we return to the basics.
I love to eat breakfast for every meal. My favorite breakfast cookbook is this one by the editors of Extra Crispy with foreward by Hugh Acheson. It’s hilarious. There is a periodic table of eggs. Chapters titled “Muffins are Cake for Breakfast,” or “Nothing Clears a Crisper Drawer Like Green Shakshuka.” I highly recommend.
[Vegetarian] Breakfast is so easy to make all the time when you have chickens and a garden. Right now our garden is bursting with chard and peppers and the hens are laying three eggs a day! Royal purple beans are climbing up the poles beanstalks and tomatoes are curling around the trellises. Let’s eat green!
Garden Shakshuka
Adapted from Eating Well
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
12 ounces chard, stemmed and chopped (save and chop the stems too!)
12 ounces mature spinach, stemmed and chopped
1 cup cauliflower heads
1 tsp Pereg zahtar
1 tsp cumin
½ cup dry white wine
1 small jalapeño or serrano pepper, thinly sliced
2 medium cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
½ cup low-sodium no-chicken or chicken broth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 large eggs
½ cup crumbled feta or goat cheese
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until soft and translucent but not browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Add spices, and blend 30 seconds until fragrant. Add stems of chard and caulilflower, turn up the heat a tid bit, and cook until the cauliflower is a bit browned. Then add chard and spinach, a few handfuls at a time, and cook, stirring often, until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add wine, hot peppers, garlic, salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until the wine is absorbed and the garlic softens, 2 to 4 minutes.
Add broth and butter; cook, stirring, until the butter is melted and some of the liquid is absorbed, 1 to 2 minutes. Crack eggs over the vegetables. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until the whites are set, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle with cheese; cover and let stand for 2 minutes before serving.
Jazz Fest always goes to my head like a julep or two. Here’s one to save for next year’s derby—using garden greens and sweet peas.
Sweet Pea Garden Mint Julep
Adapted from Eating Well
1 cup water, divided
½ cup sugar
1 cup pea greens (pea shoots), coarsely chopped, plus more for garnish
½ cup sugar snap peas, trimmed and halved
Pinch of salt
1 cup fresh mint leaves, divided, plus more for garnish
1½ cups bourbon, divided
⅓ cup lemon juice, divided
8 cups ice cubes, divided
Pea blossoms for garnish
Combine ½ cup water and sugar in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in pea greens. Let stand until cool, about 25 minutes. Strain into a small bowl and refrigerate the syrup until cold, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, combine snap peas and the remaining ½ cup water in a blender. Blend at medium speed for 1 minute. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pressing on the solids to release as much liquid as possible. Season with salt. Refrigerate the juice until cold, about 30 minutes. To prepare each cocktail: Place 2 tablespoons mint and 1½ tablespoons of the syrup in an Old-Fashioned glass. Mash the mint with a muddler or wooden spoon until lightly bruised. Add 3 tablespoons bourbon, 2 teaspoons lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of the pea juice. Add ½ cup ice cubes and stir. Top with another ½ cup ice cubes. Serve garnished with pea blossoms, additional pea greens and mint, if desired.
